[ISLAMABAD] Pakistan's 2011 annual budget has seen a hefty hike
in nuclear research and development (R&D) while other key science sectors
have suffered a decline in grants.

The budget approved this week (22 June) allocated a 6.7 billion
Pakistan rupees (US$77.9 million) hike for nuclear research and
development — from US$179 million in the 2010-2011 budget to US$225 million in the current 2011-2012 fiscal.

The ministry of science and technology that oversees 16
research and development institutes faces a US$5.8 million decrease in
the 2011 budget, with an allocation of US$12.8 million.

In 2010-11, the ministry was originally allocated
US$18.6million, but was later granted only US$6.9 millions as the country
had to divert funds to cope with unprecedented floods.

This year's budget provides for ten new projects that include
the setting up of a marine research laboratory in Karachi, the development
of rapid methods for detection of pathogenic microbes, the genetic
improvement of rice varieties, and development of a hepatitis vaccine.

However, funds for two key socio-economic ministries of food
and agriculture and environment have been affected after they were
re-designated from federally administered ministries to
provincially administered ones, after an amendment in the country's
constitution.

The country's Higher Education Commission (HEC) that faces a prospect of being devolved
into a provincial organisation saw a funds cut of US$16.3 million
against the US$18.6 million in 2010. About 70 per cent of the HEC's budget
goes for university research.

Some university academics have flayed the reduction in research funds.

"Unexpected cuts on last year's approved budget have shaken the
confidence of researchers and scholars. Many post-doctoral research
fellows in foreign universities (funded by the Pakistan government)
abandoned their degree programmes for non-provision of funds,” Masoom
Yasinzai, vice-chancellor of the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad,
told SciDev.Net.

Haris Rasheed, dean of sciences at the University of Punjab,
Lahore, said: "We cannot understand any reason behind reducing [the] science
budget ... How can we plan when there is no stability in government's
commitments".

The country's space R&D budget has been reduced to just over US$25 million from last year's US$27.7 million.